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While plenty of rockers have borrowed from epic fantasy, few have fully embraced the enchanted way of life. Sure, they may decorate their album covers with creatures, goblins, captive women and muscular warriors, but did a member ever been forced to recover a missing unicorn horn from a frost-covered ground in the depths of winter? Did anyone spent time peering in the back of a road transport, repairing their own chainmail?

Immersed in the Legend

Established in 2019, New York’s Castle Rat have encountered both these scenarios and additional ones as they act out their grand tales. From heraldic, memorable anthems to eye-popping performances, attire styling, visuals and album art, they’re not just a heavy metal group as a complete sensory journey.

“The band wasn’t intended to be a costumed concept band,” explains singer, guitarist, sword-wielder and creative overlord Riley Pinkerton as the band’s tour van drives from a packed show in a German city to a second one in another town – they’re also doing multiple performances in the UK now. “Initially, we performed twice and were scheduled on a spooky event, where I decided spontaneously to wear a costume. Everything was super-DIY, but we had an amazing time and the energy was unforgettable. I thought, ‘What if we could have such enjoyment at every show?’”

The Band’s Evolution

From that point on, the group – which showcases Pinkerton as the “Rodent Monarch” together with a medic from history (bass player), proud bloodsucker (guitarist) and enigmatic nature priest (percussionist) – never turned back. The Bestiary, the group’s sophomore release, conjures visions of famous rock groups collaborating to struggle onward through a heroic art landscape – a heroic opus that sets them on the verge of bigger achievements.

The Bestiary was a initial step for Pinkerton in that she opened the floor to her collaborators. “That contributed to a much better record,” she says of the collaborative process. “It was challenging at first – I often experienced a particular degree of pride as a female in music doing everything solo. I’ve had numerous occasions where I’ve got off stage and an audience member will say, ‘Those guys write great riffs!’ and I think, ‘Hey – I wrote all that.’”

Artistry and Imagination

As their fame has grown, so has the scope of their visual elements. “The saying I live by is always that if it’s worth doing, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton smiles. Initially, she was on track for a university studies in art before balking at the prospect of so much debt. “The fun thing about Castle Rat is there’s so many different ways to demonstrate creativity,” she says. “Whether it’s crafting disguises, costume design, learning how to edit clips … it’s all stuff I am unfamiliar with, but it’s fun to learn as we go.”

Even though creating the group’s detailed mythology (“The team is pushing me to record it because all the ideas are,” Riley says, tapping her head) and making clothing didn’t suffice, the vocalist taught herself how to create armor – a challenging endeavor, though she admittedly entrusted her completely original reptilian-inspired outfit to a New York-based specialist. “It’s as if actual armour,” she smiles proudly.

Crowd Engagement and Difficulties

As for audiences? They embraced the fake blood, toy blades and crafted rodent bones with equal enthusiasm as the band. “We played a concert in Detroit and it looked like a historical festival,” recalls Riley with affection. “Everyone was in cloaks, sheepskin, chainmail.”

This isn’t to say, though, that traveling lifestyle as mythical wanderers has been easy. “Each item is always failing and ends up repaired with tape,” Riley says. “Moreover I’ll have numerous thoughts as to how I envision the aesthetics, but we tour in a bus with only so much space. It’s a fascinating test to create the impression like a larger-than-life story, then store it into a small space.”

We’ve encountered further organizational challenges that wouldn’t have troubled fictional warriors. “We experienced an ‘uh-oh’ moment when we played SonicBlast festival in the European country and my luggage – which had my weapon in it – got lost,” says Riley. “This became a worst-case scenario, because there is no an backup plan of the concert where I lack a sword.”

Goals Ahead

Like a true warrior queen, Riley is eager about the days to come. “My goal is all the way – we should play huge arenas,” she says. “The only thing that’s deeply meaningful to me is keeping the handmade style, making sure each detail is crafted by us. That’s an element I want to stay authentic to, no matter what we grow into. Additionally, I desire to make an entrance on a mythical beast each show. Think about how some artists ride bikes on stage? Exactly that, but on a mythical creature.”